Cyber Dating Violence: patterns of prevalence and risk factors in a sample of Italian adolescents

Cyber Dating Violence (CDV) is a growing concern in the digital age, posing significant risks to adolescents’ well-being. However, more research needs to be conducted on the phenomenon, especially within the context of Italian youth. This study aims to fill this gap by exploring CDV’s prevalence and risk factors among an Italian sample of adolescents. One-hundred ninety-five high school students (36.4% female), with a mean age of 15.06 (SD = 1.24, range = 13–18), completed questionnaires measuring CDV, empathy, emotion regulation difficulties, school bullying, cyberbullying, and attitudes towards violence. More than 65% of students reported being victims of CDV, while about 64% have perpetrated such behaviors. Regression analyses showed that empathic affective dissonance, justification for female and peer aggression predicted CDV perpetration (F(11) = 5.798, p < 0.001). Instead, CDV victimization was predicted by justification for female aggression and cybervictimization (F(11) = 4.963, p < 0.001). Furthermore, significant gender differences emerged concerning patterns of risk factors for CDV perpetration and victimization. Although we cannot generalize our findings to all Italian adolescents, our results further the understanding of CDV by providing evidence of a high prevalence rate among adolescents and identifying risk factors. CDV prevention research should explore interventions that address dissonant emotional empathy, attitudes toward violence, and violent behaviors. Our results enhance the understanding of CDV, stressing the need for early identification and targeted prevention programs that address and manage risk factors for CDV.